As part of the marking of the traditional cultural and religious event “514 days of Ajvatovice”, this morning more than 100 horsemen set off from Karaula, not far from Turbe, in the central part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and after passing through Donji Vakuf, they will continue their journey to Prusac, where the central part of the event will be held on Sunday.
Horsemen of different ages, dressed in traditional costumes, after reciting passages from the Qur’an and prayer, which was recited by Džemail ef. Ibranović, they headed towards the largest Muslim settlement in Europe, Ajvaz-dedo’s rock in Prusac.
Preservation of tradition
Horsemen dressed in traditional costumes, reciting takbirs and ilahi, with the first rays of the sun passed through the small town of Karaula, while local residents saw them off from the windows of houses and courtyards and wished them a safe journey.
The passing of the horsemen through the village and the overall accompanying ambience could momentarily bring the observers back to some past times. Several children also set off for Ajvatovica this morning on horses, which indicates that this tradition will be continued in the years to come.
On Sunday morning, horsemen will traditionally set off in front of the Handanaga mosque in Prusac towards Ajvaz-dedo’s rock. After that, the bajraktars will be called. After passing through the rock and reciting the prayer, a festive event program will be held on the Ajvatovica plateau.
Ajvatovica is the largest Muslim settlement in Europe and one of the oldest in BiH. It is deeply rooted in the identity of Bosniaks. It is located at the foot of the Šuljaga mountain and seven kilometers from the old town of Prusac. Ajvatovica is the specificity of Bosnian Muslims, because it has an autochthonous character.
It is not known for sure when the first expedition to Ajvatovica took place, but it is known that Ajvatovica was named after Ajvaz-deda, an Islamic scholar and dervish who came to Bosnia in the 15th century from what is now Turkey. After 1947, the maintenance of Ajvatovica was prohibited, and the tradition was restored in 1990. The jubilee, 500th event, was held in June 2010.
Ajvaz Dedo, a dervish and Islamic scholar who in the 15th century settled in the area of today’s Prusac, after a long drought in this place, prayed for 40 days and 40 nights asking for water on the rocky area above the kasaba. According to legends about Ajvaz-dedo, on the fortieth night after arriving at the dovište, the rock split, and water flowed from it, which even today visitors to Ajvaz Dedo’s rock have the opportunity to taste.
Today, Ajvatovica is a meeting place for tens of thousands of Muslims from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the region, Europe and Asia, AA writes.
